Connection

So the reality of it all is that I am 4 weeks away from moving my family back to Tampa. I have never been more sure of this calling but at the same time never been more scared, worried, uncertain of the future, and the list goes on. The battle wages within. Paul was saying a mouthful when he said that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers we don't see. Everything for me is internal. But I find myself at war most often when I choose not to connect with God. Everyday I am becoming increasingly aware of my need for Him. When I don't connect I find my mind worried about a job, scared if our home will sell, wondering what this new place will be like. My whole day is consumed with the circumstances in life. In those moments I am not connected to God I am connected and consumed by the insurmountable circumstances I find myself in. But the opposite is true when I choose to connect with God, when I choose to put all of those circumstances aside and sit with my creator in the midst of chaos. It's not a denial of the fact that I need a job to provide or the fact that i haven't sold my home, but instead it is an acknowledgment of His peace. That's what the writer meant when He said there is a peace that goes beyond understanding. Today I am fighting to live in peace even in the midst of my circumstances. Today I am fighting within to connect to my creator and find peace and joy in this journey.

I pray God that today you would move my heart close to you before you move my hand to make a call or move my mouth to make a decision. Help me God to stop and consider you and the peace you have. Let my friends who read this blog stop and remove themselves from the circumstances of life and remember you are God. May we choose to connect with our creator today even in the midst of all that is happening in our worlds.

Lamentations

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
Lam 3:22-24 (NIV)

...Anyone else need this today?

What a night!

We showed up to the field at 6:30 as it began to rain. We knew the rain wasn't leaving so we braced for a running game against a large defensive line and when I say large I mean their smallest 6th grader was 135lbs. Their largest happened to weigh in at 260lbs! Rain continued to keep coming down as I pulled our offensive line aside to give a little "pep talk". I told them this was going to be a running game so that means we were going to have to give the best blocking of our season to prevail. We came out flat in the first quarter only rushing for about 20 yards and no pass completions. The opposing team scored on their first drive on what I would call a fluke play but all the less it was still a score. The second quarter gave way to an empty offense on both sides of the ball. We went into half time down 8-0. We rallied our team to come out an be more physical, and they were. The second half started off with some great blocking by our line while our star running back ran a pitch to the outside corner all the way into the house only to be called back for an illegal block in the back! Our defense went up against a much bigger offensive line all night and came out on top.
With less than one minute remaining we recovered a fumble and drove down to the 35 yard line giving the ball to our star running back who didn't disappoint. With no time remaining on the clock he broke 3 tackles and ran the ball in for a score. We were successful as well with our 2 point attempt to tie the game. It was an amazing game! Overtime did not fare well for us but in our hearts we overcame adversity, and while we did not win the game, the battle was ours! I am very proud of our team this year as we ended the season with a winning record but more importantly they all learned valuable lessons in life on that field! What a game!

Change has come

For those that may be living in the abyss and haven't heard the big news, we are moving back to Tampa. Moving to help my friend James start a church. In my spirit I have a huge holy expectation. So how did this happen? Where does all of this come from? In a short answer it comes from following hard after God. For the past couple of years I have been living the mantra that following God is risky, it's not comfortable nor do I believe God is interested in making us comfortable more than he is interested in making us contributors in advancing His kingdom.

Two years ago I began to study the life of Jonathon. I came to a pretty wild conclusion that this guy wasn't a push over nor was he not capable of being King. He had all the qualities of a great king but gave up that right for God's annointed. One of my most favorite conversations in the Bible takes place between him and his armor bearer. Jonathon is not content to sit with his father and wait to fight the philistines but instead he takes initiative with one sword and his armor bearer and says, "Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf". Jonathon not only defeats some 20+ men but he eventually gives up his heir to throne to David and choose to serve. The greatest act one person can do for someone is serve them. Jesus said I did not come to be served but instead to serve.

The more I study Jonathon the more God revealed to me that I was called to be one. God spoke to my heart clearly that I was called to be a Jonathon to a David. Through lots of prayer and conversations with close friends and mentors I knew that if God was showing me to be a modern day Jonathon than he also wanted to show me who my David was. Up to this point I considered it to be my current pastor and while I have complete respect for him and I think him to be an incredible man who loves God with infectious abilities, I asked God the dangerous question, "Who is my David?" It didn't take much for God to respond with a simple anwer but one that would wreck me and my plans. He spoke "James".

From that moment life began to change and more hard times were ahead as I knew that this calling would ultimately impact other people and my only prayer was that the enemy would not get an inch in those relationships. I continue to pray this prayer.

I want to be clear that I am not running from anything. I have not and am not disappointed with my current church or leadership. They have done nothing wrong, which why it makes this decision even harder. Following God just isn't very logical sometimes. For those of you who read this blog will you please be in prayer for me and my family. While we are excited about this move and what God will do we are also expecting Him to fill in all the pieces of the puzzle in His timing. I will need a job so that is a huge prayer request as well as I will be raising support in this new venture. Please pray for my kids and the transition and more than anything else pray this will draw our family closer to Him.

Ouch!

2 weeks since my last post. Yikes. Life is busy but that is no excuse. I'll be back tomorrow with the BIG announcement and the impact it is having in my world. Peace.